Draft-rigging for cars and supporting structure therefor.



1 W. P. BETTENDORF, DEGD.

w B '1' ND F A DRAFT RIGGING FOR CARS AND SUPPORTING STRUCTURE THEBEPOR.

' m" Patented June 20,- 1911.

l I f'" V\ l i -I Il WILLIAM P. BETTENDORF, OF DAVENPORT, IOWA; J. W. BETTENDORF ADMINISTRATOR OF SAID WILLIAM P. BETTENDORF, DECEASED.

`DRAF'.l-'.R'.[(:`r(3rI1\TG FOR CARS AND SUPPORTING STRCTURE THEREFOR.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 20, 1911.

Application -led June 6, 1908. Serial No. 437,194.'

To all whom lit may concern."

Be it known t-hat I, WrLLn-iar P. Barran- Donr, a citizen of the United Stat-es, and a resident of Davenport, in the county of Scott and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Im rovement's in Draft,

Riggingfor Cars and Supporting Structures Therefor, of which the following is a clear, full, and eXact construction.

My invention relates to draft-rigging for cars and the supporting structure therefor.

The'object of my invention is to avoid the use of bolts and rivets in the assembling of the several movable part-S of a draft-rigging for cars, and to allow a. limited pushing movement of the draw-bar, independent of tal section through a portion of the same,

'the draw-bar.

taken on dotted lines 3, 3, Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the channel-beaml end-sill of the underframe of a car, which, at its center of length, has secured thereto a rectangular frame or bumping-block B, part of which depends below the end-sill, and has'an opening therein back through which the draw-bar C extends. D, D, represent the end portions of the parallel I-beam center-sills or draft sills of said underframe, the upper portion of Ythe ends of which are secured to the end-sill by suitable castings, and the lower flanges of said ends are seated on and riveted to a shelf m, made by Hanging rearwardly the lower hori- Zontal partA of frame VB below the draw-bar opening. The draw-bar extends back between these center-sills or draft sills a suitable distance, and, preferably, has its rear end increased in deth, to facilitate its enf gaging and sliding etween lugs a, c, projecting from plates l?, l), secured to the, web of said center or draft-sills on each side of The rear extremity of the draw-bar bears directly against a rectan ularshaped buEer-plate E, the distance ietween the vertical edges of which is but slightly less than that between the webs of the draft-sills, and the depth of which is greater than that of the engaging-end of the draw-bar. This bader-plate is guided in Vits movements by the guide-ways c, c,

which latter consists of'a plate riveted orv otherwise secured'to the webof the center or .draft-sills, and provided with upper and lower inwardly proj ecting horizontal flanges, between lwhich the side portions of the buffer-plate are located and slide. lVhen at the limit of its forward movement the side portions of the said buffer-plate bears against vertical flanges, d, d, projecting transversely inwardv from the rear edges of plates b, and these flanges transmit the pulling strain of the draw-bar to the center or draft-sills. The buffer-plate is kept pressing jforward against said flanges (Z, d, by

means of cam-blocks e, f, that are journaled in the side-walls ofthe forward end of the bore of a suitable spring-housingY F, which latter is tubular, and is, preferably, square in cross-section. and has a follower-plate G therein, between which and the rear closed end of the housing a suitable coil-spring g is placed that keeps the follower-plate normally pressing forward against the rearmost cam-block f.

The rear-closed end of housing F, normally bears against a cross-bar or bridge H, the ends of which are bent or flanged away from said' housing and riveted or votherwise secured to the webs of the center- The vertical displacement of the rear end of the hou-sing is presill or draft-sills.

vented, and the movement ofthis portion of the same is directed by lugs h, which have plates that are riveted' to the centersills on either side-of the housing. About midway its length the housing is provided with laterally projecting trunnions upon which the rear ends of the linksJ are secured. The opening in the rear end of theselinks J that fits over the trunnion j, is such, that the links will-be rigidly fastened thereto and have no lost motion. These links project longitudinally forward to and opposite each side of the rear end of the draw-bar, and their forward ends are provided with a longitudinally elongated opening 7c, which is adapted to lit over the projecting ends of a transverse key or bar K that is seated in and extends transversely through the draw-bar and through.

the bosses m surrounding the mouths of the opening in which it is seated, and its ends project beyond the sides of the draw-bar. Between the openings in the ends thereof, the bodies of these links consist of a solid bar, which is, preferably, rectangular in cross-section, and extends through recesses L mad'e in the vertical side edges of the buffer-plate E', and through suitable recesses made in the-vertical flanges d, d, against which said buffer-plate normally presses.

In operation, when the car-coupler is subjected to a pulling strain, through the medium of the links, is drawn forward, and the springs-g are compressed Aagainst the followenplate and impart the pulling strain through the same and caniblocks e and f to the buffer-block, and through the latter vto the flanges d and the center-sill. When the car-coupler is subjected to a pushing strain the draw-bar will push 'the buffer-plate rearwardly, which latter, through the medium of said cam-blocks pushes the follower-plate to the rear, and compresses the spring against the rear of the housing, which latter imparts its strain to cross-bar H, by which the strain is imparted to tlfe centeror draft sills. By making t-he opening 7c in the forward ,end of the links longer than the width of the key, the ends of the key can move rear- 'y wardly in said openings a limi-ted distance" without affecting said links, but when the said ke enOa es the rear ends of the o en-A y a g ing le, the pushing strain of the draw-bar will be imparted directly through said links to the housing,.and from-thence through tlie'bar H to the center or draft-sills. The

distance which the draw-bar can move to the rear independentlyvof the links, represen-ts about the extent of the compressibility the hou sing,`

of the springs j, so that the direct blow or concussion of the imparted direct tothe underframe.

Vhat I claim as new is i 1'. The combination with an underframe for a car comprisingl an endsilla'nd two parallel draft-sills, of a vcar coupling the drawbar of which .extends longitudinally between said draft-sills, a buffer-block engaged by springs are contained, means for connecting the sides of the housing to said draw-bar, and devices for conveying the pushing strain of said housing and the pulling strain of the buffer-block t-oithe draft-sills.

2. The combinationwith an underframe for a car comprising an endfsill and two parallel draft-sills, of a car-coupling the draw-bar of which extends longitudinally between said draft-sills and has lateral projections on its rearl end,.a buffer-blockenr gaged Aby the. rear extremity. of the same, n I springs that impart a forward pressure to y said buffer-block, a housing in which said 1' springs are contained having laterally probumping cars is seldom the rear extremity of the same, springs that impart aforwa'rd pressure to said buffer-block, a housing 'in which saidr Jecting trunnionslinks having openlngs' in their ends that are removably fitted upon said lateral projections, 4and said trunnions, for connecting the sides of the housing to said draw-bar, and devices forV conveying t-he pushing st-rain of said housing and the pulling strain of the buifer-block to the draftsills.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto sety u my hand and seal this 7th day 'of April, A. lD. 1908.

Witnesses.: I G. S. THOMPSON, E. K. LUNDY.`

Copies of this patent may be obtained for iive cents each, by addressing the olmisisiovner of Patents,

Washington,`D. C.

WILLIAM r. ABErrEiiDonr.' u. 8.1' f" 

